Form for concrete



FORM FOR CONCRETE Filed Sept. '16, 1939 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Fig.1.

I I I Liv;

INVENTOR LOUIS J. Sarosdy m M ZWA May 20, 1941.

L. J. SAROSDY FORM FOR CONCRETE Filed Spt. '16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W: n 6 W J /W g H/MW u 7%..)

J y. Wm

INVENTOR Louis J. Jarosdy Patented May 20, 1941 UNETED STATES ear FORM FOR CONCRETE Louis J. 'Sarosdy, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Blew-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of New Jersey 14 Claims.

This invention relates to forms for the pouring of concrete and is particularly for a door construction for use on such forms.

In the pouring of concrete it is common practice to use steel forms having doors therein at different elevations above the ground line through which the concrete may be introduced to the forms. As the level of the concrete rises, the doors are closed and the doors should provide a flush surface on the inner face of the forms so that when the concrete is poured to a level above the doors, the wall will not be deformed at the places where the door openings are located. This is particularly true in the case of the lining of tunnels with concrete where there is a form completely around the inside of the tunnel to form a continuous lining on the interior of the tunnel, and the present invention will be described particularly in connection with forms used as tunnel liners but it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to use with such forms but is applicable to any forms where it is desired to use doors of the character described.

Forms for making concrete tunnel liners are usually comprised of abutting sections or panels placed in end-to-end relation in the bore of the tunnel. The door openings are provided at different levels in these sections or panels. The

door openings are usually rectangular in shape and the doors themselves comprise rectangular panels of a size which fit into the openings. These doors are sufficiently smaller than the opening to permit them to be closed without binding in the opening. They do not close against a jam of any sort but the forming surface of' the door panel is brought and held flush with the surface of the main form. When they are closed they must be maintained in a position where the door panel is flush with the inner I face of the main lining and the holding means for the doors have heretofore been unsatisfactory and have been a source of considerable trouble, especially in tunnel construction. The

means for holding the doors in the closed posiregistering openings in flanges provided on the outside of the door panel. These pins are often a source of trouble. Oftentimes, particularly after the holes have become worn, the door panel is loosely held so that the inner face of the panel is no longer flush with the inner face of the main form thereby producing a pad or projection of the shape of the door opening on the finished concrete surface. Also, the type of door heretofore used permits some leakage of the fine ingredients of the concrete through the crack between the door and its frame.

The present invention provides a door which is completely sealed around the crack between the door and the frame and which is provided with a novel latch and locking means for securing the door tightly in position to resist. the pressure of the concrete. The invention provides a door and a latch which can be quickly and conveniently moved to the closed position and locked in such a position and which is not likely to be damaged or injured as the forms are taken downand moved about and reset in other locations.

The invention may be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a tunnel liner form constructed in accordance with my invention, the figure showing the liner as viewed from the exposed or outside surface of the form as distinguished from the inside surface against which the concrete is shaped;

Figure 2 is a detailed view showing the elevation of the door and the portion of the frame or panel immediately surrounding the door, the view being on a larger scale than Figure l Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view showing on a still larger scale one of the locking bolts for holding the door in place, the view being a section in the plane of line IVIV of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view also showing one of the locking bolts, the view being in the plane of line VV of Figure 2.

In the drawings, 2 designates generally a section of the panel of a form for making a tunnel liner. Although shown in Figure 1 as a projection, it normally has a curvature as shown in Figure 3 corresponding to the bore of the tunnel. It is made up of a plurality of curved steel plates 3 extending between reinforcing ribs 4. These ribs which are formed of structural shapes are connected at intervals by structural stiffening members 5. In addition to the stiffening members there are other stiffening members adjacent the bottom of each door opening. In Figure 1 the panel is shown as having two doors, one being about one-half way up the panel and one being near the top of the panel. In Figure 1 the door over the upper one of these openings is shown as being broken away to more clearly show the size and boundary of the opening. The door opening designated 1 in Figure 1 is of rectangular form and is in the space between two of the reinforcing ribs 4 and between one of the stiffening members 5 and one of the stiffening members 6, the members 5 and 6 being set a short distance away from the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the opening I. As most clearly shown in Figure 3, the stiffening members 5 and B in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated comprise structural channels, the channel 6 being reversed with respect to the channel 5. Spaced from the side edges of the opening 1 and extending between the ribs 5 and 6 are vertically extending stiffening members 8 which, as best shown in Figure 4, are also illustrated as being structural channels.

The door itself comprises a metal plate 9 of the same thickness as the plate 2 and having the same curvature. It is provided around its four edges with structural reinforcing members. The reinforcing member along the top edge is illustrated as comprising a length of angle iron 19 welded to the outside surface of the plate 9 with one leg flush against the plate 9 and projecting slightly beyond the edge of the plate. This is most clearly shown in Figures 3 and 5. The other leg of the angle member Ill is disposed inwardly from the edge of the plate 9 and is approximately perpendicular to the surface of the plate 9, The reinforcing member along the bottom edge of the door is designated II and it preferably comprises a length of structural channel as best shown in Figure 3 with the flanges thereof turned outwardly. The channel H is welded to the lower edge of the plate 9 in such manner that one flange of the channel projects beyond the bottom edge of the plate. The reinforcing members along the two side edges of the door are of similar construction. They are designated 12 and comprise lengths of channel iron extending between the stiffening members and II. They of course are bent to conform to the curvature of the plate and are welded to the plate. They are positioned on the plate in such manner that they project slightly beyond the edge of the plate as is most clearly apparent from Figures 1 and 2. When the door panel 9 is entered in the opening 1, the projecting edges or flanges of the several reinforcing members H], II and I2 project over or overlap the edges of the opening! so as to bear against the plate 2 of the main form and thus hold the inner face of the plate 9 flush with the inner face of the plate 2 as is clearly shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. The reinforcing members on the door panel thus provide stops to limit the inward movement of the door panel 9 and also, because they overlap the crack between the door panel and the plate 2, present the fine ingredients of the concrete from leaking through.

The doors may be completely removable from the form or they may be hinged to the form. In the particular construction illustrated, the doors are attached to the form by hinges. Two hinges are illustrated for each door, these hinges being designated l3, One leaf of each hinge is welded to the channel 1 i and one leaf is welded or otherwise attached to the flange of the channel 6. A piece of stiff metal plate I4 is welded or otherwise rigidly attached to the flange of the member 6 midway between the two hinges and it projects, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, slightly above the top of the structural member 6. This member provides a guide at the bottom of the door for forcing the hinged edge of the door inwardly. It will be noted that the center of the hinge l3 lies slightly beyond the projecting edge of the bars M to permit entry of the toe of the channel ll behind the guide bar I when the door is being closed. The guide bar I4 prevents any springing back of the lower edge of the door due to any looseness that might develop in the hinges themselves.

For locking the door in position when it is closed and holding it against the pressure of the concrete behind the form, slide bolts are provided on the door for cooperation with keeper means on the main form. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, there are two of these slide bolts, one at each of the uppermost two corners of the door. The bolts, which are formed of heavy bars of metal preferably of rectangular cross section, are designated 15. They are positioned in the space between the tWo legs of the angle bar It and guide strips I 6 are welded to the two legs of the angle to retain the bolts in place. The guides H; are loose enough so that the bolts may have considerable movement in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door. This is most clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5 where it will be seen that there is considerable clearance between the bottom of the bolt 15 and the flange of the angle In. The bolts are provided near the outer ends with thrust screws I! that are threaded through the bolts, the thrust screws preferably having handles l8 thereon by means of which they may be conveniently turned. These thrust screws also have tapered flat end portions Ila adapted to bear against the outside of the door.

The outer ends of the bolts are adapted to engage suitable keepers provided on the vertical stiffening membersB at each side of the door opening. Preferably these keepers are merely heavy metal blocks l9 welded to the inner faces of the channels 8. In the drawings, the bolts are illustrated as being in the locking position. In this position, as best seen in Figure 4, the end of the bolt 15 is under the keeper block l9 and the thrust screw [1 is screwed down against the door, a thrust thus being exerted against the door tending to hold it tightly closed. To release the bolt, the thrust screw I! is first turned to relieve the pressure after which the bolt may be slid to the right as viewed in Figure 4 to clear the keeper block l9 and allow the door to open. Both bolts of course are of similar construction. The inner end of each bolt is preferably provided with a transverse screw 2i) that merely acts as a stop to prevent the bolt from sliding completely out of the guide l6 when the door is open. The web of the channel 8 forms a stop to limit the movement of the bolt in one direction. In order to facilitate the proper positioning of the bolt and to prevent the bolt from moving when the fiat end of the thrust screw H is being rotated against the surface of the leg of the angle with which it contacts, a washer 2| is welded to the flange of the angle near the extreme end thereof, this washer being best shown in Figure 4. This washer in affect provides a well or recess into which the end of the screw l1 moves when the bolt is in proper position for locking the door and once the end of the screw is in this recess the turning of the screw cannot cause the screw or bolt to wander as it might if no such res-training recess were provided. The washer not only restrains the screw from wandering over the surface against which it is being rotated, but it also provides a gauge by means of which the Workmen can be assured that the bolt has been projected far enough under the keeper Hi to firmly hold the door closed.

My invention as herein described provides a door of rigid construction which can be quickly and conveniently brought into a closed position and locked in this position where the locking means is readily accessible and convenient to use and does not require the use of any special tool-s. When the door is closed and locked by turning the thrust screws l1 until the ends of the bolts l5 press firmly against the keepers I9, the doors cannot push out under the pressure of the concrete. The inner face of the metal panel 9 is assured of being flush with the inner surface of the main panel 2 and the crack between the two panels is efiectively sealed by the overlapping projections of the reinforcing members I0, II and l2. 11, when the bolt is in locked position, is much closer to the keeper l9 than to the guide I6. By reason of this arrangement, great closing force is exerted against the door with a comparatively small reaction against the guide I6. This is desirable because any excessive reaction against the guide It would tend to spring the door at the center away from the opening. The screw I1 is of a length such that the handle l8 under any circumstances is clear of the surrounding structural parts so that it can be turned without fouling or without likelihood of injury to the hands. When the forms are knocked down for shipment from one place to another, the screws 11 can be completely removed from the bolts l5 and the bolts l5 can be removed from the doors to conserve space.

While I have illustrated and described one preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this is merely by way of illustration and that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction within the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A concrete form comprising a sheet metal plate having an opening therein, a closure for said opening constituting a part of the surface of the form comprising a panel of the same thickness as said metal plate, and structural reinforcing members around the edges of said panel and having flange portions that project beyond the edges of said panel and overlap the edges of the said plate when the closure is in position and which seal the crack between the panel and the plate.

2. A concrete form comprising a panel having a doorway therethrough, a closure for the doorway which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form, sliding bolts on the closure, means on the panel for cooperation with the bolts to hold the closure in position, and thrust screws cooperating with the bolts and closure to re- It will be noted that the thrust screw 3. A'concrete form comprising a panel having a doorway therethrough, a closure for the doorway which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form, sliding bolts on the closure, means on the panel for cooperation with the bolt for holding the closure in position, and thrust screws passing through the bolts and bearing against the closure for holding the closure in position against pressure outwardly.

4. A concrete form comprising a panel having a doorway therethrough, a closure for the doorway which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form, sliding bolts on the closure, means on the panel for cooperation with the bolt for holding the closure in position, thrust screws passing through the bolts and bearing against the closure for holding the closure in position against pressure outwardly, said closure comprising a plate of a size to substantially fill said opening and of substantially the same thickness as said panel, and reinforcing means on the outside of the plate projecting beyond the edges thereof to limit the inward movement of the closure.

5. A concrete form having an opening therein, a closure for the opening comprising a plate having a working fit in the opening, means for positioning the plate so that its inner face is flush with the inner face of the form, the closure constituting a part of the molding surface of the form locking means for releasably holding the plate in such position comprising opposed slide bolts on the closure, guide means for retaining the slide bolt-s in position on the closure, keeper means on the form to cooperate with the ends of the slide bolts, and a thrust screw threaded transversely through each bolt, the inner end of each thrust screw bearing against the closure to exert an outward thrust on the bolt and an inward pressure against the closure.

6. A concrete form having an opening therein, a closure for the opening comprising a plate having a working fit in the opening, means for positioning the plate so that its inner face is flush with the inner face of the form, the closure constituting a part of the molding surface of the form locking means for releasably holding the plate in such position comprising opposed slide bolts on the closure, guide means for retaining the slide bolts in position on the closure, keeper means on the form to cooperate with the ends of the slide bolts, and a thrust screw threaded transversely through each bolt, the inner end of each thrust screw bearing against the closure to exert an outward thrust on the bolt, both the panel and the closure having reinforcing members thereon, the thrust screws extending outwardly a distance sufiicient to clear all of said reinforcing members and having handle. means at the outer ends thereof.

7. A concrete form having an opening therein, a closure for the opem'ng com-prising a plate having a working fit in the opening, means for positioning the plate so that its inner face is flush with the inner face of the form, the closure constituting a part of the molding surface of the form, locking means for releasably holding the plate in such position comprising opposed slide bolts on the closure. guide means for retaining the slide bolts in position on the closure, keeper means on the form to cooperate with the ends of the slide bolts, and a thrust screw threaded transversely through each bolt, the inner end of each thrust screw bearing against the closure to exert an outward thrust on the bolt, each screw being so located on the bolt on which it is carried that when the bolt is engaged with its keeper the screw is closer to the keeper than to said guide means whereby the reaction of the .bolt against the guide is less than the force exerted against the keeper.

8. A concrete form having an opening therein, a closure for the opening comprising, a plate having a working fit in the opening, means for positioning the plate so that its inner face is flush with the inner face of the form, the closure constituting a part of the molding surface of the form, locking means for releasably holding the plate in such position comprising opposed slide bolts on the closure, guide means for retaining the slide bolts in position on the closure, keeper means on the form to cooperate with the ends of the slide bolts, and a thrust screw threaded transversely through each bolt, the inner end of each thrust screw bearing against the closure to exert an outward thrust on the bolt, said keeper comprising a structural reinforcing member secured to the panel and having a flange which is perpendicular to the panel, there being an abutment on said flange, the flange serving to limit sliding movement of the bolt to locking position and the abutment being adapted to project over the end of the bolt when the bolt is in looking position and form a keeper.

9. A concrete form comprising a panel having a doorway therethrough, a closure for the doorway which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form, slide bolts on the closure, keeper means on the panel for cooperation with the bolts L plate above and below the said opening and spaced from the edges thereof, vertical reinforcements at each side of said opening extending between said first two reinforcements, a door for said opening which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form comprising a metal plate adapted to fit in said opening, reinforcing means on said last mentioned plate around the edges 'thereof and projecting beyond the edges thereof for engagement with said first mentioned metal plate, slide bolts on said door, and abutments on V said vertical reinforcements. for cooperation with the bolts for holding the door in position.

11. A concrete form comprising a-panel formed of a metal plate, said plate having a doorway therein, reinforcing means on the outside of said plate above and below the said opening and spaced from the edges thereof, vertical reinforcements at each side of said opening extending between said first two reinforcements, a door for said opening which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form comprising a metal plate adapted to fit in said opening, reinforcing means on said last mentioned plate around the edges thereof and projecting beyond the edges thereof for engagement with said first mentioned metal plate, slide bolts on said door, and abutments on said vertical reinforcements for cooperation with the bolts for holding the door in position, said bolts having thrust screws passing therethrough and which bear against the door and by means of which pressure may be applied to hold the door inplace.

12. A concrete form comprising a panel having a main metal plate with a smooth interior and having an opening therethrough providing a doorway, reinforcing means on the outside of said main plate above and below said opening but spaced from the edges of said opening, other reinforcing means on the outside of said plate extending between said upper and lower reinforcements and spaced from the edges of said opening, and a door for said opening which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form comprising a plate adapted to fit in said opening, reinforcements of structural metal around the edges of said last mentioned plate, hinges secured to the reinforcements on the outside of the door and on the outside of the main plate along one edge of the door, a guide bar on the reinforcement of the main plate to which the door is hinged located between said hinges for preventing the hinged edge of the door from springing outwardly if any play develops in the hinges, and cooper ating means on the door and the reinforcing means around the door for releasably holding the door closed against outward pressure.

13. A concrete form comprising a panel having a main metal plate with a smooth interior and having an opening therethrough providing a doorway, reinforcing means on the outside of said main plate above and below said opening but spaced from the edges of said opening, other reinforcing means on the outside of said plate extending between said upper and lower reinforcement-s and spaced from the edges of said opening, and a door for said opening which constitutes a portion of the surface of the form comprising a plate adapted to fit in said opening, reinforcements of structural metal around the edges of said last mentioned plate, hinges secured to the reinforcements on the outside of the door and on the outside of the main plate along one edge of the door, a guide bar on the reinforcement of the main plate to which the door is hinged located between said hinges for preventing the hinged edge of the door from springing outwardly if any play develops in the hinges, cooperating means on the door and the reinforcing means around the door for releasably holding the door closed against outward pressure, said means comprising slide bolts on the door and cooperating keepers on the reinforcements of the main panel, and thrust screws threaded through the bolts and bearing against the door.

14. A door for concrete forms comprising a metal plate having structural reinforcing members around the edges thereof, the reinforcing member along one edge comprising an angle bar having one leg lying against the plate and projecting beyond the edge of the plate, the other leg projecting perpendicularly to the plane of the door, a slide bolt positioned between the two legs of said angle bar, a guide over the bolt secured to the two legs of the bar for holding the bolt in place, and a thrust screw passing through the bolt in a position to bear against the door when the bolt is slid to a position where one end of said bolt extends beyond the edge of the door.

LOUIS J. SAROSDY. 

